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ABOUT
the renewed rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics,
I am absolutely speechless.
I think
I saw the handwriting on the wall, read it in tea leaves
and discerned it from runes and animal innards since a
few months back and hoped to the highest heavens that it
would come true.
It did.
When the Lakers mastered the Spurs at Staples Center on
May 30 (local time) and the Celtics went back to the
future in Detroit on May 31 (local time), the greatest
rivalry in the National Basketball Association (NBA) was
reborn.
It’s a
different time, with different protagonists and a fluid
playing field, as well. Since I’m still speechless, I
hope you won’t mind if I picked a blog by Rob Peterson
titled “The Good New Days” on NBA.com to do all the
talking for me this week. It takes the words right out
of my cheering mechanism.
****
OF the
millions of words that will be typed, printed, blogged,
texted, e-mailed and IMed about the 2008 Finals
featuring the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers,
one word should stand out above all others to describe
this matchup between these ancient foes: tradition.
“All
sports have their rivalries: Red Sox-Yankees in
baseball, Bears-Packers in the National Football League,
Michigan-Ohio State in college football and Duke-North
Carolina in college hoops. But those rivalries have
matured over the decades because of frequent meetings
and proximity. They began as regional tussles and,
thanks to TV, they grew into national spectacles.
“Yet,
what do those games decide? A conference title, a
division championship, maybe a trip to the World Series?
“While
wild wins and memorable moments in those rivalries may
be bragged about at the next kegger, tailgate or
cocktail party, the NBA’s greatest rivalry, the two
teams with the most tradition—the Lakers and the
Celtics—always has much more at stake. This one decides
which team is the world’s best.
“It
makes the others seem quaint, doesn’t it? Few, if any,
sports can say that a bulk of their league’s tradition
has been built on its greatest stage. We can. These
teams on opposite coasts are more than 2,600 miles
apart, but no two NBA franchises are more closely tied
together than the Celtics and the Lakers.
“On
Thursday, June 5, the Celtics and the Lakers will be
meeting in The Finals for the 11th time, with the
Celtics owning the Lakers in eight of the 10 previous
meetings. Celtics great Bill Russell earned seven of his
11 championship rings against the Lakers, whereas Magic
Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped the Lakers take
the last two meetings between the two teams in 1985 and
1987.
“What
does this rivalry, this tradition, represent in NBA
history?
“It’s
the first Finals sweep as
Boston
clobbered Minneapolis in 1959.
“It’s
the Lakers’ Frank Selvy missing a wide-open jumper with
the game tied at 100 in Game Seven of 1962.
“It’s
Bob Cousy dribbling out the clock as Red lit his victory
cigar.
“It’s
Cousy and Auerbach getting their final titles at the
Lakers’ expense.
“It’s
Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke putting balloons in the
Forum’s rafters in 1969 for Game Seven and workers
having to pluck them out after, because Russell got No.
11 and the balloons never fell.
“It’s
Russell after that 11th title failing to find the words
in an interview with ABC, while Jerry West and Elgin
Baylor probably could never find the words to describe
why they couldn’t beat the Celtics in six meetings in
eight years.
“It’s
because the NBA changed the way it did business in the
Finals. We did away with the 2-2-1-1-1 format after 1984
when you had to fly 2,611 miles for Game Five, then back
for Game Six, then back again for Game Seven.
“It’s
Finals at the Fabulous Forum and grimy, gritty games at
the Garden.
“In the
‘80s, it’s ‘sissies’ and ‘junior, junior’ sky hooks,
Memorial Day Massacres, clotheslines and towel waving.
“It’s
Gerald Henderson’s steal in ‘84 and Larry Bird finally
getting the best of Magic.
“One
year later, it’s Kareem’s fountain of youth in ‘85 and
the Lakers finally, FINALLY, beating the Celtics.
“It’s
Magic making in Game Four in ‘87 and Bird missing.
“This is
what it means when we talk about tradition. The passing
of these memories from one generation to the next. You
may remember them because of the frequency but, more
important, you remember these matchups for the quality.
“‘That’s
pretty much what got me started watching basketball,
growing up in Los Angeles, watching the Celtics and
Lakers,’ Paul Pierce said. ‘I’m going back home to play
against the team I grew up watching and it’s a dream
come true, man, just thinking about it. I think that
rivalry pretty much revolutionized the game of
basketball and now I’m part of it.’
“This
year, the tradition begins anew. For the first time
since 1998, the Finals won’t feature a team with either
Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan. This will be Kobe
Bryant’s first Finals as the Lakers’ main man. For
Boston’s Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, this
will be their first Finals.
“This
old rivalry is new again. The legends have moved to
their rightful places in the Hall of Fame. The old
Garden’s gone. So is the Forum. There are new buildings
in both cities with more seats and suites, but the
tradition remains.
“But
it’s time to add to this tradition. It’s time to make
new memories. We’ve got another generation right behind
us.”
Thanks,
Mr. Peterson. |
